Justice MM Sundresh also the directed Advocate General or Additional Advocate General to appear and explain the steps taken with regard to the allegations that relief workers carrying materials for stranded victims of floods were harassed by some sections.

The petition was filed by AP Suryaprakasam, an advocate. Noting that he had submitted representations to authorities requesting them to constitute micro level disaster management and relief-providing committees to coordinate with individual volunteers ad NGOs in all flood-affected areas, Suryaprakasam said he had first-hand experience of being accosted by locals from distributing food to the needy.

In spite of availability of sufficient relief materials, volunteers are not able to distribute them to victims as they are clueless about where to give and whom to give, he contended.

Unless a micro-level flood relief committee is constituted in flood affected areas, relief workers may not be able to move freely to distribute materials to people in their hour of crisis, Suryaprakasam said.